The 2019 recreation season at Standley Lake has experienced several impacts and changes largely due to the need to increase decontamination efforts to ensure water quality is not compromised. This has created the need for new protocols and processes, such as removing watercraft from vehicles earlier in the process. Additionally, the removal of trailered boating for the 2019 season has resulted in a significant increase of lake usage for other types of recreation, including kayaking, paddle boarding, and canoeing.

As a result, there are certain times during the weekend where decontamination wait times are nearly an hour. Staff is now conducting between 150-200 paddle craft decontaminations per day (during the weekends). Staff used to be able to decontaminate paddle craft without making patrons take them off the vehicle, but this is no longer permitted with updated decontamination processes as evidence has shown decreased effectiveness of the former process. Staff needs to remove craft from vehicles to ensure that the entire surface (both interior and exterior) is properly decontaminated. This has more than doubled the length of time it takes for each decontamination. Staff realizes this negative impact on customer service with wait times; however must continue to implement this practice to ensure water quality is top priority.

Standley Lake currently has only one (the new State recommended) decontamination unit. Although, when staffing allows, the backup sprayers can be used to open both sides of the spray station to expedite the process. This year the lake has experienced substantial increase in park visitation and patrons utilizing paddle craft due to the trailered boating ban. Staff is considering the addition of a second State recommended paddle craft decontamination unit as well as additional seasonal staff for next season. Additionally, Staff is working hard to continue to provide exceptional customer service while pursuing an improved balance of operations in 2020 in learning from several challenges in 2019. Staff greatly appreciates the patience of all Standley Lake patrons while improvements are being planned for the 2020 season.

If you would like to learn more about improvements being considered for 2020 and other information, such as best times to kayak in 2019, please contact Holly Walters, Standley Lake Operations Coordinator at: hwalters@westminsterco.gov or 303-658-2792.